30 Days of Night (15)

In the northernmost US town of Barrow, Alaska, each winter they experience 30 days of complete darkness – ideal for the undead to hunt down human flesh with impunity. Sheriff Josh Hartnett has to outwit chief bloodsucker Danny Huston and his ravenous crew before the whole town is turned into a vampire snack bar.

Produced by Sam Raimi and directed by David Slade, this is a real baying-at-the-moon gorefest, unusual both for its savagery and for a half-decent performance from Hartnett. Why the desperate townsfolk don't resort to silver crucifixes and garlic isn't explained – they must have seen the movies – though there's tension and enough Grand Guignol to satisfy bloodthirsty tastes.